Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a 2015 American epic space opera film directed, co-produced, and co-written byJ. J. Abrams. The seventh installment in the main Star Wars film series, it stars Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson,Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Max von Sydow. Produced by Lucasfilm and Abrams' Bad Robot Productions and distributed worldwide by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, The Force Awakens is set about 30 years after Return of the Jedi, and follows Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron's fight with the Resistance, led by veterans of the Rebel Alliance, against Kylo Ren and the First Order, which descended from the Galactic Empire.

The Force Awakens is the first film in the Star Wars sequel trilogy announced after Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm in October 2012. The film is produced by Abrams, his long-time collaborator Bryan Burk, and Lucasfilm presidentKathleen Kennedy. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan, co-writer of the original trilogy films The Empire Strikes Back(1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983), rewrote an initial script by Michael Arndt. John Williams, composer for the previous six films, returned to compose its score. Star Wars creator George Lucas served as creative consultant during the film's early production stages. Filming began in April 2014 in Abu Dhabi and Iceland, with principal photography also taking place in Ireland and Pinewood Studios in England. This is the first live-action film in the franchise since Revenge of the Sith, released in 2005.

The Force Awakens premiered in Los Angeles on December 14, 2015, four days before its release in North America. Critics compared it favorably to the original trilogy, praising its action sequences, characters, acting, special effects, musical score and emotional drama, though some criticized it as derivative. Disney backed the film with an extensive marketing campaign; it has broken many box office records, including the highest-grossing worldwide opening of all time and the fastest film to reach $1 billion. As of January 6, 2016, it has generated a global box office revenue of over $1.5 billion, becoming the highest-grossing film in the franchise, the second highest released in 2015, and thefourth highest of all time without inflation adjustment. After 20 days in release it became the highest-grossing film in North America (ahead of Avatar). Two sequels, Episode VIII and Episode IX, are scheduled for release on May 26, 2017 and in 2019, respectively. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_The_Force_Awakens

Solo, Finn, and a Creature Known as 'The
Director' As part of EW's Star Wars: The Force Awakens double-issue preview,
here's a collection of new images from the film, beginning behind the scenes
with John Boyega's Finn, Harrison Ford as Han Solo, and director J.J. Abrams.
We're going to tread lightl...

BB-8, sometimes spelled "Beebee-Ate", was a BB unit astromech droid who operated approximately thirty years after the Battle of Endor. The droid was at one point operating in the desert of the planet Jakku. It had a dome head, similar to that of R2 series astromech droids, with the bulk of its body made up of a ball that the droid's head rolled on. BB-8 was mostly white, with some silver and orange on its body, as well as a black photoreceptor. The droid belonged to Resistance pilot Poe Dameron, whom he accompanied during his flights on his a T-70 X-wing fighter. ...http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/BB-8

Sara Jean Underwood (born March 26, 1984) is an American model, television host, and actress who was chosen as the Playmate of the Month for the July 2006 issue of Playboy magazine and later became Playmate of the Year in 2007. She is a former host of Attack of the Show! on G4.

above: NoHigher! as an Siemens 'Combino' "SUPRA" -6th Tramway-Villamos in city of Budapest, bwd. station Margitkrt. Mechwartliget máh. in front of former cinema "Május 1" (Arrow on Map) before square Széll Kálmántér. (The Great Photoshop artwork!) source: www.mellbimbo.eu

Avenio is a low floor tram family produced by Siemens Transportation Systems. It is the successor to the Combinofamily. The first generation was sold as the Combino Supra /ˈsuːprə/, Combino MkII, or Combino Plus. With the introduction of the second generation in 2009 the Combino brand was dropped and Siemens have referred to Combino Plus trams in Sul do Tejo (Portugal) and Budapest (Hungary) as part of the Avenio range. The Avenio is made of stainless steel instead of light materials, and is manufactured at a new assembly line in Vienna. Like the Combino it utilizes a modular design with standardised components, with resulting reduced costs.

The 'Millennium Falcon' is a spacecraft in the Star Wars universe commanded by smuggler Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and his Wookiee first mate, Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew). The highly modified Corellian Engineering Corporation (CEC) YT-1300 light freighter first appears in Star Wars (1977), and subsequently in The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Return of the Jedi (1983) and The Force Awakens (2015). The ship also makes a brief cameo appearance in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005). Additionally, the Falcon appears in a variety of Star Wars expanded universematerials, including books, comics, and games; James Luceno's novel Millennium Falcon focuses on the titular ship. It also appears in the 2014 animated film The Lego Movie in Lego form, with Billy Dee Williams and Anthony Danielsreprising their roles of Lando Calrissian and C-3PO, with Keith Ferguson voicing Han Solo.

Origin and design:

According to Star Wars creator George Lucas, the Millennium Falcon's design was inspired by a hamburger, with the cockpit being an olive on the side. The ship originally had a more elongated appearance, but this design's similarity to the Eagle Transporters in Space: 1999 prompted Lucas to change the Falcon '​s design. The original model was modified, re-scaled, and used as Princess Leia's ship, Tantive IV.

The sound of the ship traveling through hyperspace comes from two tracks of the engine noise of a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, with one track slightly out of synchronization with the other to introduce a phasing effect. To this, sound designer Ben Burtt added the hum of the cooling fans on the motion-control rig atIndustrial Light & Magic. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Falcon

En. text: Carrie Frances Fisher (October 21, 1956 – December 27, 2016) was an American actress, writer, and comedian. Fisher is known for playing Princess Leia in the Star Wars films, a role for which she was nominated for four Saturn Awards. Her other film credits include Shampoo (1975), The Blues Brothers (1980), Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), The 'Burbs (1989), When Harry Met Sally... (1989), Soapdish (1991), and The Women (2008). She was nominated twice for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her performances on the television series 30 Rock and Catastrophe. She was posthumously made a Disney Legend in 2017, and in 2018 she was awarded a posthumous Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album. ...

above: MedRes! "Princess 'Lulu' plottings the fire range with LASER construct rangefinder in the CFCSR (Central Fire Control System Room)" in the corner of longue of MilF. "She after goes to FCS instrument".

above: NoHigher! Alderaan Tatooine: How Fast is the Millennium Falcon? It looks like most of the way between the two planets consists of established space lanes, which is handy for our purposes. It assures us that the Falcon ...

En. text: A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission ofelectromagnetic radiation. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The first laser was built in 1960 by Theodore H. Maiman at Hughes Laboratories, based on theoretical work by Charles Hard Townes and Arthur Leonard Schawlow. A laser differs from other sources of light in that it emits light coherently. Spatial coherence allows a laser to be focused to a tight spot, enabling applications such as laser cutting and lithography. Spatial coherence also allows a laser beam to stay narrow over great distances (collimation), enabling applications such as laser pointers. Lasers can also have high temporal coherence, which allows them to emit light with a very narrow spectrum, i.e., they can emit a single color of light. Temporal coherence can be used to produce pulses of light as short as a femto-second.Among their many applications, lasers are used in optical disk drives, laser printers, and barcode scanners; fiber-opticand free-space optical communication; laser surgery and skin treatments; cutting and welding materials; military and law enforcement devices for marking targets and measuring range and speed; and laser lighting displays in entertainment. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser

Risk = Hazard- A hazard is a situation that poses a level of threat to life, health, property, or environment. Most hazards are dormant or potential, with o: nly a theoretical risk of harm; however, once a hazard becomes "active", it can create an emergency. A hazardous situation that has come to pass is called an incident. Hazard andpossibility interact together to create risk. Identification of hazard risks is the first step in performing a risk assessment.

above: NoHigher! Statue of Liberty in New York Hudson-bay with Yedi Laser Light Sabre.

above: MedRes! Falcon milenario por dentro

The AK-630 is a Soviet and Russian fully automatic naval close-in weapon system based on a six-barreled 30 mm rotary cannon. In "630", "6" means 6 barrels and "30" means 30 mm. It is mounted in an enclosed automatic turret and directed by radar and television detection and tracking. The system's primary purpose is defense against anti-ship missiles and other precision guided weapons. However it can also be employed against fixed or rotary wing aircraft, ships and other small craft, coastal targets, and floating mines. Once operational, this weapon system was rapidly adopted, with up to 8 units installed in every new Soviet warship (from mine-hunters to aircraft carriers), and hundreds produced in total. en.wikipedia.org/AK-630

ST2 ‘Arakyd’concussion missiles were
launched from ST2 concussion missile racks, each of which could carry four missiles.
The missiles were covered with a green energy shield while in flight and had
orange exhaust flames. An ST2 missile was just over 1 meter long and as
powerful as a standard proton torpedo. Their warheads were also
armor-piercing. They had an optimum range of 300 meters and a maximum range of
700 meters, and cost 750 credits apiece.

The Crotale EDIR (Ecartométrie Différentielle InfraRouge, "InfraRed Differential Ecartometry") is an all-weather short-range anti-air missile, which can be used to intercept low-flight anti-ship missiles and aircraft. It has been developed by Thomson CSF Matra and exists in two versions, a mobile land-based version and a ship-launched one. en.wikipedia.org/Crotale_missile

The RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) is a ship-based missile system used by the United States Navy to intercept short-to intermediate-range ballistic missiles as a part of Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System. Although primarily designed as an anti-ballistic missile, the SM-3 has also been employed in an anti-satellitecapacity against a satellite at the lower end of low Earth orbit. The SM-3 is primarily used and tested by theUnited States Navy and also operated by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RIM-161_Standard_Missile_3

The Project 1135 "Burevestnik" (Storm Petrel) class were a series of frigates built for the Soviet Navy. These ships are commonly known by their NATO reporting name of Krivak and are divided into Krivak I, Krivak II(both navy), and Krivak III (coast guard) classes.These ships were designed as a successor to the Riga class. The design started in the late 1950s and matured as an anti-submarine ship in the 1960s. A total of 40 ships were built, 32 ships for the Soviet Navy (Russian Navy) and 8 modified ships of Nerey (Krivak III) subclass for the KGB Maritime Border Guard. Currently 7 of Nerey subclass are in FSB Coast Guard and one is part of Ukrainian Navy. The ship's unique features—the bow missile box, the stack and the angled mast, earned it a rap-like nickname among U. S. sailors that comes from their foreign ship silhouette identification training — "Hot dog pack, Smokestack, Guns in Back — Krivak."en.wikipedia.org/Krivak-class_frigate

Metel Anti-Ship Complex (Russian: противолодочный комплекс «Метель» 'Snowstorm'; NATO reporting name SS-N-14 'Silex') is a Russian family of anti-submarine missiles. There are different anti-submarine variants ('Metel') for cruisers and frigates, and a later version with a shaped charge ('Rastrub') that can be used against shipping as well as submarines.The missile carries an underslung anti-submarine torpedo which it drops immediately above the suspected position of a submarine. The torpedo then proceeds to search and then home in on the submarine. In case with 85RU/URPK-5, the UGMT-1 torpedo is a multi-purpose torpedo and can be used against submarines as well as surface ships. The missile has been in operational service since 1968, but is no longer in production; it was superseded by the RPK-2 Viyuga (SS-N-15 'Starfish'). en.wikipedia.org/Metel_Anti-Ship_Complex

The 9M113 "Konkurs"(Russian: 9М113 «Конкурс»; cognate of French: Concours; English: "Contest") is a SACLOS wire-guided anti-tank missile of the Soviet Union. "9M113" is the GRAU designation of the missile. ItsNATO reporting name is AT-5 'Spandrel'. en.wikipedia.org/9M113_Konkurs

Semi-Automatic Command to Line of Sight (SACLOS) is a method of missile command guidance. In SACLOS, the operator has to continually point a sighting device at the target while the missile is in flight. Electronics in the sighting device and/or the missile then guide it to the target.SACLOS devices commonly work using one of these methods: wire-guided, or radio-guided, or beam-riding.

The S-400 Triumf - Triumph; NATO reporting name: SA-21 Growler), previously known as S-300PMU-3, is an anti-aircraft weapon system developed by Russia's Almaz Central Design Bureauin the 1990s as an upgrade of the S-300 family. It has been in service with the Russian Armed Forces since 2007. The S-400 uses three different missiles to cover its entire performance envelope. These are the extremely long range 40N6, long range 48N6 and medium range 9M96 missile. en.wikipedia.org/S-400_(missile)

Ha-ha-ha!!! The missile's range too short as a body close fight, in space fight circumstances; hyper area and Hyper space speed near to Light speed = 299 792 458 m/s - 299 796 km/s (300 000 km/s) =1 080 000 000 km/h . It would must have effective range; from 300 m - min. to 400 km ideal range 4000 km! in space. I don't know the missile speed and control system! Close combat? The 300 - 7000 m shooting range keep by assault rifles! It is very too bagatel and childly! That is all about it.

The Mil Mi-6 (NATO reporting name Hook), given the article number izdeliye 50 and company designation V-6, was a Soviet/Russian heavy transport helicopter that was designed by the Mil design bureau. It was built in large numbers for both military and civil roles.

B29 (FiFi) on Takeoff Roll - Filmed from Cockpit

Feltöltés: 2011. júl. 3.This video is filmed from the cockpit of a B29 Superfortress (FiFi). Camera is from the perspective of the observation seat located behind the pilot. Airport is Fort Worth Meacham. Both Pilot and Co-Pilot are full-time commercial airline captains.

From World War to Star Wars: The Millennium Falcon

Last month, I claimed that World War II impacted more elements of Star Wars than any other single influence. This month, I set out to prove it by studying the galaxy’s most famous spacecraft: the Millennium Falcon. Nearly every aspect of this famous ship shares a connection to the war: from the cockpit to the engines, the Second World War helped build everyone’s favorite bucket of bolts.The connections begin in the cockpit of the Falcon with its iconic greenhouse-style window. It was here that audiences first jumped to hyperspace, and from these famous viewports that Han Solo evaded Imperial ships in the asteroid field above Hoth. Thirty years earlier, this same style of cockpit was found flying aboard one of the most advanced bomber aircraft of World War II: The American B-29 Superfortress.The B-29 was an American four-engine heavy bomber designed by Boeing and used extensively during the later-stages of the strategic bombing campaigns in Germany and Japan. Two atomic bombs dropped from B-29s brought an end to the war and signaled the beginning of the atomic age.Like other bombers of the age, the B-29 bristled with machine guns to defend from enemy fighter crews. Footage of gunners manning their machine guns and tracing fighters as they raced across the sky was a hallmark of newsreel footage in the 1940s. But with the advent of guided weapons, defensive machine guns were largely outmoded after World War II. This type of aerial warfare was unique to the Second World War, but made an impression on George Lucas and the crew of Star Wars. ... source:http://www.starwars.com/news/from-world-war-to-star-wars-the-millennium-falcon

The Boeing B-29 'Superfortress' is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing and was flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. It was one of the largest aircraft operational during World War II and very advanced for its time. It featured a pressurized cabin, all dual wheeled, tricycle landing gears, and a remote, electronic fire-control system that controlled four machine gun turrets. A manned tail gun installation was semi-remote. The name "Superfortress" continued the pattern Boeing started with its well-known predecessor, the B-17 Flying Fortress. Designed for high-altitude strategic bomber role, the B-29 also excelled in low-altitude nighttime incendiary bombing missions. One of the B-29's final roles during World War II was carrying out the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Due to the B-29's highly advanced design for its time, unlike many other World War II-era bombers, the Superfortress remained in service long after the war ended, with a few even being employed as flying television transmitters for the Stratovision company. The B-29 served in various roles throughout the 1950s. The Royal Air Force flew the B-29 as the Washington until phasing out the type in 1954. The Soviet Union produced an unlicensed reverse-engineered copy as the Tupolev Tu-4. The B-29 was the progenitor of a series of Boeing-built bombers, transports, tankers, reconnaissance aircraft and trainers including the B-50 Superfortress (the first aircraft to fly around the world non-stop) which was essentially a re-engined B-29. The type was finally retired in the early 1960s. The B-29 production total was 3,970 aircraft. Dozens of B-29s remain as static displays but only one example, Fifi, remains on flying status. As of 2015, another B-29 is being restored for flight.

A transport developed from the B-29 was the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter, first flown in 1944, followed by its commercial airliner variant, the Boeing Model 377 Stratocruiser in 1947. This bomber-to-airliner derivation was similar to the B-17/Model 307 evolution. In 1948 Boeing introduced a tanker variant of the B-29 as the KB-29, followed by the Model 377-derivative KC-97 introduced in 1950. A heavily modified line of outsized-cargo variants of the Stratocruiser is the Guppy / Mini Guppy / Super Guppy which remain in service today with operators such as NASA. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_B-29_Superfortress

The "Enola Gay" is a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, named for Enola Gay Tibbets, the mother of the pilot,Colonel Paul Tibbets, who selected the aircraft while it was still on the assembly line. On 6 August 1945, during the final stages of World War II, it became the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb. The bomb, code-named "Little Boy", was targeted at the city of Hiroshima, Japan, and caused unprecedented destruction. Enola Gayparticipated in the second atomic attack as the weather reconnaissance aircraft for the primary target of Kokura. Clouds and drifting smoke resulted in Nagasaki being bombed instead.After the war, the Enola Gay returned to the United States, where it was operated from Roswell Army Air Field,New Mexico. It was flown to Kwajalein for the Operation Crossroads nuclear tests in the Pacific, but was not chosen to make the test drop at Bikini Atoll. Later that year it was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution, and spent many years parked at air bases exposed to the weather and souvenir hunters, before being disassembled and transported to the Smithsonian's storage facility at Suitland, Maryland, in 1961.In the 1980s, veterans groups engaged in a call for the Smithsonian to put the aircraft on display, leading to an acrimonious debate about exhibiting the aircraft without a proper historical context. The cockpit and nose section of the aircraft were exhibited at the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) in downtown Washington, D.C., for the bombing's 50th anniversary in 1995, amid a storm of controversy. Since 2003, the entire restored B-29 has been on display at NASM's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. The last survivor of its crew, Theodore Van Kirk, died on July 28, 2014, at the age of 93.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enola_Gay

above: MedRes! Removed the side air cushion blasting jet-engine. (similar some graphics too!)

The Bartini Beriev VVA-14 Vertikal`no-Vzletayuschaya Amphibia (vertical take-off amphibious aircraft) was awing-in-ground-effect aircraft developed in the Soviet Union during the 1970s. Designed to be able to take-off from the water and fly at high speed over long distances, it was to make true flights at high altitude, but also have the capability of 'flying' efficiently just above the sea surface, using aerodynamic ground effect. The VVA-14 was designed by Italian-born designer Robert Bartini in answer to a perceived requirement to destroy United States Navy Polaris missile submarines.

The German Air Ministry (Reichsluftfahrtministerium; RLM) had a system for aircraft designation which was an attempt by the aviation authorities of the Third Reich to standardize and produce an identifier for each aircraft type produced in Germany. It was in use from 1933 to 1945 though many pre-1933 aircraft were included and the system had changes over those years. As well as aircraft of the Luftwaffe, it covered civilian airliners and sport planes. en.wikipedia.org/RLM_aircraft_designation_system

En. text:Enemy at the Gates is a 2001 American war film written and directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud. The film's title is taken from William Craig's nonfiction book Enemy at the Gates: The Battle for Stalingrad (1973), which describes the events surrounding the Battle of Stalingrad in the winter of 1942/43. Although fictional, the film is loosely based on war stories told by Soviet sniper Vasili Zaitsev. ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enemy_at_the_Gates

Dr. Ernst Heinkel (January 24, 1888 – January 30, 1958) was a German aircraft designer, manufacturer,Wehrwirtschaftsführer in the Third Reich, and member of the Nazi party. His company Heinkel Flugzeugwerke produced the Heinkel He 178, the world's first turbojet aircraft and jet plane, and the Heinkel He 176, the first rocket aircraft. He was awarded the German National Prize for Art and Science in 1938. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Heinkel

The Heinkel He 111 was a German aircraft designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter at Heinkel Flugzeugwerke in the early 1930s. It has sometimes been described as a "wolf in sheep's clothing" because it masqueraded as a cargo plane though its actual purpose was to provide the nascent Luftwaffe with a fast medium bomber. (Germany had been prohibited by the 1919 Treaty of Versailles from having an air force.)Perhaps the best-recognised German bomber due to the distinctive, extensively glazed "greenhouse" nose of later versions — in effect, a "stepless cockpit", with no separate windscreen panels for the pilot and co-pilot apart from the streamlined shape — the Heinkel He 111 was the most numerous and the primary Luftwaffe bomber during the early stages of World War II. It fared well until the Battle of Britain, when its weak defensive armament, relatively low speed, and poor manoeuvrability were exposed.[4] Nevertheless, it proved capable of sustaining heavy damage and remaining airborne. As the war progressed, the He 111 was used in a variety of roles on every front in the European theatre. It was used as a strategic bomber during the Battle of Britain, atorpedo bomber during the Battle of the Atlantic, and a medium bomber and a transport aircraft on the Western,Eastern, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and North African Fronts.Although constantly upgraded, the Heinkel He 111 became obsolete during the latter part of the war. It was intended — along with almost every other twin-engined bomber in Luftwaffe service — to be replaced by the winning design from the Luftwaffe's Bomber B design competition project, but the delays and eventual cancellation of the project forced the Luftwaffe to continue using the He 111 until the end of the war. Manufacture ceased in 1944, at which point, piston-engine bomber production was largely halted in favour offighter aircraft. With the German bomber force virtually defunct, the He 111 was used for transport andlogistics.Production of the Heinkel continued after the war as the Spanish-built CASA 2.111. Spain received a batch of He 111H-16s in 1943 along with an agreement to licence-build Spanish versions. Its airframe was produced in Spain under licence by Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA. The design differed significantly in powerplant only, eventually being equipped with Rolls-Royce Merlin engines. The Heinkel's descendant continued in service until 1973. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinkel_He_111

above: NEW! NoHigher! He 111's Bomb-aimer during in resting source:Pinterest.com

The Heinkel He 111 served on all the German military fronts in the European Theatre of World War II. Beginning the war as a medium bomber it supported the German campaigns in the field until 1943 when, owing to Western Allied and Soviet air superiority, it reverted to a transport aircraft role.

German-built He 111s remained in service in Spain after the end of the Second World War, being supplemented by Spanish licence-built CASA 2.111s from 1950. The last two German-built aircraft remained in service until at least 1958.

The Mitsubishi G4M (long designation: Mitsubishi Navy Type 1 attack bomber: 一式陸上攻撃機, 一式陸攻Isshiki rikujō kōgeki ki, Isshikirikkō) was the main twin-engine, land-based bomber used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service in World War II. The Allies gave the G4M the reporting name Betty. Japanese Navy pilots called it "葉巻" "hamaki" ("cigar"), due to its cylindrical shape.The G4M had very good performance, especially range, which was achieved by its structural lightness and an almost total lack of protection for its crew, with no armor plating or self-sealing fuel tanks. These omissions proved to be its weakness when confronted with American fighter aircraft during the Pacific War. source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_G4M

The Nakajima G10N Fugaku (Japanese: 富岳 or 富嶽, "Mount Fuji"), was a planned Japanese ultra-long-rangeheavy bomber designed during World War II. It was conceived as a method for mounting aerial attacks from Japan against industrial targets along the West Coast(e.g.San Diego), Midwestern (e.g.Detroit, Chicago, Wichita) and Northeastern (e.g.New York, Norfolk) of the United States. Japan's worsening war situation resulted in the project's cancellation in 1944 and no prototype was ever built. en.wikipedia.org.G10N

The Junkers Ju 188 was a German Luftwaffe high-performance medium bomber built during World War II, the planned follow-up to the famed Ju 88 with better performance and payload. It was produced only in limited numbers, due both to the presence of improved versions of the Ju 88, as well as the deteriorating war condition and the resulting focus on fighter production.

The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American twin-engine, medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in every theater of World War II and after the war ended many remained in service, operating across four decades. Produced in numerous variants, nearly 10,000 Mitchells rolled from NAA factories. These included a few limited models, such as the United States Marine Corps' PBJ-1 patrol bomber and the United States Army Air Forces' F-10 reconnaissance aircraft and AT-24 trainers. en.wikipedia.org/North_American_B-25_Mitchell

Catch-22 is a satirical novel by the American author Joseph Heller. He began writing it in 1953; the novel was first published in 1961. It is frequently cited as one of the greatest literary works of the twentieth century. It uses a distinctive non-chronological third-person omniscient narration, describing events from the points of view of different characters. The separate storylines are out of sequence so that the timeline develops along with the plot.

The novel is set during World War II, from 1942 to 1944. It mainly follows the life of Captain John Yossarian, a U.S. Army Air Forces B-25 bombardier. Most of the events in the book occur while the fictional 256th Squadron is based on the island of Pianosa, in the Mediterranean Sea, west of Italy. The novel looks into the experiences of Yossarian and the other airmen in the camp, who attempt to maintain their sanity while fulfilling their service requirements so that they may return home.

The novel's title refers to a plot device that is repeatedly invoked in the story. Catch-22 starts as a set of paradoxical requirements whereby airmen mentally unfit to fly did not have to do so, but could not actually be excused. By the end of the novel it is invoked as the explanation for many unreasonable restrictions. The phrase "Catch-22" has since entered the English language, referring to a type of unsolvable logic puzzle sometimes called a double bind. According to the novel, people who were crazy were not obliged to fly missions; but anyone who applied to stop flying was showing a rational concern for their safety, and was sane. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch-22

above: NoHigher! Movie "Hanover street" starring: Harrison Ford B-25J

Hanover Street is a 1979 Anglo-American wartime romantic film, written and directed by Peter Hyams and starring Harrison Ford, Lesley-Anne Down and Christopher Plummer. Plot: In London during the Second World War, Lieutenant David Halloran (Harrison Ford), an American B-25 bomber pilot with the Eighth Air Force based in England, and Margaret Sellinger (Lesley-Anne Down) an English nurse, meet on Hanover Street in a chance encounter during the Blitz. en.wikipedia.org/Hanover_Street

below: Left: MedRes! Harrison Ford in movie "Hanover street". Right: NoHigher! General James-Jimmy-Doolittle, earned the Medal of Honor for his valor and leadership as commander of the Doolittle "Tokyo Raidee".

above: HiRes! North American B-25J "Mitchell" bomber cutaway

En. text: Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor, director, writer and film producer. He gained worldwide fame for his starring roles as Han Solo in the Star Wars film series and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Five of his movies are within the 30 top grossing movies of all time at the US box office (when adjusted for inflation). Ford is also known for playing Rick Deckard in the neo-noir dystopian science fiction film Blade Runner (1982) and its sequel Blade Runner 2049 (2017); John Book in the thriller Witness (1985), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor; and Jack Ryan in the action films Patriot Games (1992) and Clear and Present Danger (1994).

His career spans six decades and includes roles in several Hollywood blockbusters; including the epic war film Apocalypse Now (1979); the legal drama Presumed Innocent (1990); the action film The Fugitive (1993); the political action thriller Air Force One (1997); and the psychological thriller What Lies Beneath (2000). Seven of his films have been inducted into the National Film Registry: American Graffiti (1973), The Conversation (1974), Star Wars (1977), Apocalypse Now (1979), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and Blade Runner (1982).

As of 2016, the U.S. domestic box-office grosses of Ford's films total over US$4.7 billion, with worldwide grosses surpassing $6 billion, making Ford the second highest-grossing U.S. domestic box-office star.

above: Left: MedRes! Bombardier in B-17 american LIFE magazine Right: MedRes! His site

above: NoHigher! Tupolev Tu-4 (Boeing B-29)

The Tupolev Tu-4 (NATO reporting name: Bull) was a piston-engined Soviet strategic bomber that served theSoviet Air Force from the late 1940s to mid-1960s. It was a reverse-engineered copy of the American-madeBoeing B-29 Superfortress. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-4

The Lun-class ekranoplan (NATO reporting name Duck) is a ground effect vehicle (GEV) designed by Rostislav Evgenievich Alexeyev and used by the Soviet and Russian navies from 1987 until sometime in the late 1990s. It flew using the lift generated by the ground effect of its large wings when close to the surface of the water–about 4 metres (13 ft) or less. Although they might look similar and have related technical characteristics, ekranoplans like the Lun are not aircraft, seaplanes, hovercraft, nor hydrofoils–ground effect is a separate technology altogether. The International Maritime Organization classifies these vehicles as maritime ships. The name Lun comes from the Russian for harrier.

The Yermolayev Yer-2 was a long-range Soviet medium bomber used during World War II. It was developed from the Bartini Stal-7 prototype airliner before the war. It was used to bomb Berlin from airbases in Estonia afterOperation Barbarossa in 1941. Production was terminated in August 1941 to allow the factory to concentrate on building higher-priority Ilyushin Il-2 ground-attack aircraft, but was restarted at the end of 1943 with new, fuel-efficient, Charomskiy ACh-30B aircraft Diesel engines.

Although designed as a long-range medium bomber it was flown on tactical ground-attack missions during theBattle of Moscow with heavy losses. The survivors were flown, in ever dwindling numbers, until August 1943 when the last examples were transferred to schools. However, the resumption of production in 1943 allowed the aircraft to resume combat operations in April 1945. The Yer-2 remained in service with Long-Range Aviation until replaced by four-engined bombers at the end of the 1940s.

This epic Millennium Falcon took 7,500 Lego bricks and a full year to build

A year before Star Wars: The Force Awakens started shattering every box office record in Hollywood, Lego enthusiast Marshal Banana decided to recreate the film's version of the Millennium Falcon. The result: a 7,500-piece Lego creation that measures almost three feet long and weighs 22 pounds. Banana spent a year gathering pieces, finalizing the design and assembling it all. He managed to include lights for the engines and top/bottom-mounted gun turrets, as well as a fully modeled cockpit and functional boarding ramp. ...source:by Adam
Rosenberg is a Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games http://mashable.com/2015/12/28/star-wars-lego-millennium-falcon/#BrYqv778.Sqo

The cockpit of Star Wars iconic, futuristic spacecraft is based on the style coined by the WWII B-29.

Did you know that the Star Wars saga most famous spacecraft featured a cockpit clearly inspired to a World War II heavy bomber?Well, the iconic greenhouse-style window of the Millennium Falcon was designed with the style of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, a strategic bomber flying 30 years before Han Solo and Chewbacca first appeared driving the iconic spacecraft into the hyperspace, in mind.As already explained here when we first published a quite unique walkaround video of the last flying Superfortress, the Boeing B-29 was a four-engine heavy bomber operational during WWII designed for high-altitude strategic bomber role that become particularly famous for carrying out the devastating atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.After the war, the advanced B-29s carried out several tasks including in-flight refueling, antisubmarine patrol, weather reconnaissance and rescue duty. The B-29 saw military service again in Korea between 1950 and 1953, battling new adversaries: jet fighters and electronic weapons. The last B-29 was retired from active service in September 1960.The Superfortress featured pressurized cabin with the peculiar windows layout, tricycle dual wheeled landing gears, and a quite-advanced-for-the-time, remote, electronic fire-control system that controlled four machine gun turrets that complemented a manned, semi-automatic, rear gun turret.Indeed, you most probably remember that gun turrets also equip George Lucas’s spacecraft and are used by both Han Solo and Luke Skywalker to fight Imperial TIE fighters as the Millennium Falcon escapes Death Star in Episode IV.Anyway, the connections between WWII aircraft and Star Wars go well beyond the Millennium Falcon’s cockpit or manned gun turrets: it’s not a secret George Lucas draw inspiration from WWII newsreel and movies. Among them, 633 Squadron (1964) and The Dam Busters (1955) film about one of the Royal Air Force’s most famous raid in WWII against the Mohne, Eder and Sorpe dams, pivotal to Hitler’s industrial heartland in the Ruhr Valley, inspired the famous Death Star attack featured in “A New Hope.”
Image credit: Wiki (top), Lucas Films source: http://theaviationist.com15/millennium-falcon-b29-cockpit

Design: The TIE series starfighters shared a general design form of a roughly spherical or cylindrical cockpit pod attached to a set of solar panels. The cockpit and panels could be supplemented by other modules for ordnance or other functions. Their overall design bore a large resemblance to the Human eye, which led to several members of the Rebel Alliance, including those of Rogue Squadron, to give them nicknames relating to eyes (such as "eyeball" for TIE/LN starfighters, "squints" for TIE/IN interceptors, "dupes" for TIE/sa bombers, and "brights" for the TIE Advanced series of starfighters, respectively).This design form carried over to the non-starfighter products, with the standard cockpit module used in the center of a land or sea vessel. The cockpit of a TIE was neither spacious nor luxurious, even when compared to other starfighters.

Technology: The TIE series derived its name from the SIE-TIE twin ion engine, which was unveiled to the public by Raith Sienar in 22 BBY. Prototypes of TIE series starfighters may have been tested as early as 29 BBY. TIE fighters were used on Imperial Victory-class Star Destroyers, such as the Strikefast as early as 19 BBY, one week after the Empire was formed. At first, the launching systems often suffered from failures, and had to undergo several redesigns. Because of the nature of their engines, the TIE series also had a distinct sound uttered whenever they flew about. All TIE series starfighters had two or more ion engine outlets, linked to a solar ionization reactor and solar array wings. Except for advanced models, TIE series vessels were not generally equipped with hyperdrives, but they could be added as an option. Early TIE models tended to suffer noticeably in sublight performance if given this upgrade, due to the added mass of the hyperdrive and navicomputer systems. Apparently not all TIEs were equipped with a missile lock warning sensor to warn a pilot of an enemy missile lock, though many were.

Combat capabilities: Ships in the TIE series were usually armed with one or more laser cannons. More advanced fighters were equipped with a variety of warhead launchers, and the TIE Avenger and TIE Defender could be fitted with a small-scale tractor beam. Very few TIE starfighters were equipped with combat shielding, though they were included on the Avenger and Defender and could be retrofitted onto most TIE types. This lack of shielding was a factor toward the TIEs extreme speed. Retrofitting of this type was fairly common in the New Republic era, as ships and manpower became more valuable to Imperial forces. In 40 ABY, during the start of the Second Galactic Civil War, the Aleph-class starfighter was produced by Sienar for the Galactic Alliance's Navy. Like its predecessors, the Aleph had a ball-shaped cockpit pod which was larger than that of a standard TIE variant. However, it was designed as a two-seater complete with an astromech droid socket and more weapons. su:starwars.wikia.com/TIE

Star Wars: TIE Fighter, a 1994 space flight simulator/space combat computer game, is the sequel to Star Wars: X-Wing. It places the player in the role of an Imperial starfighter pilot during events that occur between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.Lawrence Holland and Edward Kilham's Totally Games studio, which released X-Wing the year before, designed TIE Fighter. Based on X-Wing '​s game engine, TIE Fighter supports Gouraud shading and adds gameplay features and craft not available in X-Wing. TIE Fighter was updated and re-released several times, and it was a critical success. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_TIE_Fighter

Ball Turret Simulator Training-Bomber Camp 2015

Training vid of how to operate the B-17 ball turret in the trainer, before we actually got to use it in flight in the B-17 "909" at Bomber Camp May 2015, at Stockton CA. Nowhere else in the world can you experience what it was really like to fly as crew in an 8th air force bomber over Europe in 1942-1945!

Below: Browning M2 0.50 cal 12,7 mm heavy Machine Gun;

The M2 Machine Gun or Browning .50 Caliber Machine Gun is a heavy machine gun designed towards the end of World War I by John Browning. Its design is similar to Browning's earlier M1919 Browning machine gun, which was chambered for the .30-06 cartridge. The M2 uses the much larger and much more powerful .50 BMGcartridge, which was developed alongside and takes its name from the gun itself (BMG standing for Browning Machine Gun). It has been referred to as "Ma Deuce",[6] in reference to its M2 nomenclature. The design has had many specific designations; the official designation for the current infantry type is Browning Machine Gun, Cal. .50, M2, HB, Flexible. It is effective against infantry, unarmored or lightly armored vehicles and boats, light fortifications and low-flying aircraft. The M2 machine gun has been produced longer than any other machine gun.

The Browning .50 caliber machine gun has been used extensively as a vehicle weapon and for aircraft armament by the United States from the 1930s to the present. It was heavily used during World War II, theKorean War, the Vietnam War, the Falklands War, the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan in the 2000s and 2010s. It is the primary heavy machine gun of NATO countries, and has been used by many other countries. The M2 has been in use longer than any other small arm in U.S. inventory except the .45 ACP M1911 pistol, also designed by John Browning.

The current M2HB is manufactured in the United States by General Dynamics and U.S. Ordnance for use by the United States government, and for U.S. Foreign Allies via FMS sales.

Operating ball turret in the Collings B-24J at Bomber Camp

I had a vision in my head about putting a camera on the end of the 50 cal gun facing the ball turret so you could see the aircraft rotating in the background. Whitney, the crew chief on the B-24 and a great guy, installed his Gopro camera and captured exactly what I had in mind. Thank you Whitney!!

The Modernized Target Acquisition Designation Sight/Pilot Night Vision Sensor (M-TADS/PNVS) system is the advanced electro-optical fire control system that AH-64D/E Apache helicopter pilots use for targeting and pilotage in day, night and/or adverse-weather missions....

Koenigsegg Automotive AB (/ˈkʌnɪɡsɛɡ/; Swedish pronunciation: [ˈkøːnɪɡsɛɡ] is a Swedish manufacturer of high-performance sports cars, also known as supercars, based in Ängelholm.en.wikipedia.org/Koenigsegg